Scoop Jardine has only one game left to play for the Syracuse Orange in the Carrier Dome. He has been with this team for 5 years. In a time when the goal in college basketball seems to be “one and done,” this seems nearly unheard of, especially for a contributor like Scoop.

So often now, college basketball fans hardly get to know a player before he is gone.

The crowd at the Dome has always loved Scoop. He’s a real personality. And with him being there for five years, it seems we have really watched him grow from a kid into a mature leader.

Of course we love stars like Carmelo Anthony, but he’s one we hardly got to know before he was gone. It’s the guys like Scoop and Gerry McNamara that fight for our team for years that we truly miss. I know I love seeing Gerry back on the bench as a coach. It seems that’s right where he belongs. Where else should he be besides the Dome? Nowhere. He’s one of us. Look at our bench…full of coaches that all played for this team. That tells you something. The Orange runs strong through us.

And it seems Scoop bleeds Orange more than almost anyone. He loves this team and we love him, even when he frustrates us. Although he frustrates us far less often now. Again, because he’s grown. And we’ve witnessed it. All the ups and downs.

When Scoop leaves the court next Saturday, I hope to hear one last resounding “SCOOOOOOOOP!” from the Carrier Dome crowd. One that he’ll carry with him into postseason play and one that will echo in the Dome for a while to show future players that when you give us your all, we’ll stick with you through it all, we’ll bleed Orange with you. And the Dome will always be your home.

I am trying to not comment on what is going on at Syracuse right now, I really am. I am trying really hard to let it play out and not comment until all the facts are out. There is too much contradicting information out there right now to even try to figure out. And I am admittedly emotional, as a Syracuse alum who met her husband there and continues to be a huge fan.

However, I couldn’t keep from commenting about this shoddy “commentary” from ESPN writer Tim Keown. It’s one among many, but I found parts of this one particularly ridiculous. My rant here isn’t about the alleged victims, about Bernie Fine, or even really about Boeheim as much as it is about this terrible piece of writing. This is not meant to be a defense of anyone or anything, but it is an attack on bad “journalism” (it hurts to even call it that). I realize it’s a commentary, but this is a professional journalist, a “senior writer” in a national forum. This is terrible.

We don’t know for sure yet what happened here. But what we do know is that ESPN has been irresponsible at the least in its handing of this story. I have no problem commenting about that at this point. ESPN’s credibility on this is pretty much garbage at this point, but it still makes me mad that this stuff is allowed out there. In this particular case…

…the reflexive and near-violent defense of Fine by Jim Boeheim…

Near-violent? Really? Can you say “sensationalism?” Boeheim called the accusers liars and he gave his theory on their motives for lying. Can you please explain which part of this is “near-violent?” Can you please point out exactly where Boeheim gets near-violent, nearly threatens violence, anything that would justify the use of the words “near-violent” to describe his reaction? Irresponsible? Yes. Harsh? Yes. Near-violent? That’s ridiculous.

By the end of this past weekend, after a third alleged victim had come forward and Laurie Fine’s recorded words had been made public, Boeheim apparently had undergone a dramatic change of heart. A change of heart, it should be added, that was not nearly as vociferous as his initial tirade.

A change of heart? I would hope so after new developments. I also had a change of heart after the new developments, as did most people. It was enough for Fine to go from suspended to fired. Boeheim stated in his defense of Fine that he would defend his friend of 50 years until evidence came out to convince him otherwise. That makes sense. That happened. And as soon as the slightest evidence came out that might support the allegations, Boeheim did as he said he would. He apologized. He deeply regrets any insensitivity in his statements. And no, you don’t tirade when you are dealing with accepting that a life-long friend may be guilty of heinous crimes you just defended him for. The rest of us were reeling after the taped conversation came out, I can’t imagine being the man who just put his own reputation on the line for a friend he trusted. And you don’t tirade when you are acknowledging that previous statements were too harsh. Two wrongs don’t make a right.

Maybe people at ESPN didn’t have a change of heart since they already knew about those recorded words, which were “made public” by ESPN after sitting on them for nearly a decade… We’ll save that for later.

At first, Boeheim blamed the potential victims — strongly, in no uncertain terms.

You make it sound like Boeheim blamed the potential victims for what might have happened to them. Nice job trying to make it sound that way with your misleading use of the word “blame.” That’s a strong word that you do use in uncertain terms.

He called them liars. He questioned their motives for allegations he strongly did not believe and that had been unfounded in previous investigations. He believed they were lying. They still might have been. One tried to implicate Boeheim with comments about Boeheim seeing him in Fine’s bed and giving him weird looks like he knew it wasn’t right. Boeheim denies this ever happening.

Boeheim: “I know he’s lying about me seeing him in his hotel room. That’s a lie. If he’s going to tell one lie, I’m sure there’s a few more of them.”

If that’s the case, he has every right to call the accusers liars, especially at that point. Say he called them liars, say he harshly accused them of having money-driven motives. He did that. Don’t make it sound like something else, like he blamed them for what might have happened.

Seriously, how many grown men repeatedly travel with young boys who aren’t their children and stay alone with them in hotel rooms?

There have been numerous people who have said that Bobby Davis was thought of as Bernie Fine’s adopted son. He lived with him. He vacationed with his family. Davis himself has alluded to these things. If that is the case, it would really not be all that odd for him to be staying with him. As far as I know, Mike Lang does not claim to have stayed in hotel rooms with Fine and the third victim claims to have once and his father says that is a lie.

In light of the additional accuser and Laurie Fine’s words, victim support groups and at least one national columnist are calling for Syracuse to discipline or even fire Boeheim because of his initial response.

You do realize that this national columnist you link to is a known sensationalist who probably should have been fired himself over reckless accusations and words more than once, right? Like the time he made unfounded accusations against Urban Meyer and called him a “bad, bad guy.” He had to take that back. Or the time he decided to take sides and call Gary Williams a “little tiny little petty human being” over nothing but unfounded accusations. He had to apologize for that too. He also thought Ben Roethlisberger should not have been suspended by the NFL because the allegations of sexual assault against him were just allegations and no charges were filed. So I guess he also thinks Bernie Fine should still have a job at this point. So let’s just agree to ignore anything that he has to say…

A case definitely could be made that his job should be payment for his cavalier and thoughtless words.

So what you originally called “near-violent” is now “cavalier and thoughtless?” Good job contradicting yourself in your own writing. Plus, if we are firing people over “cavalier and thoughtless words,” not many people would be left with jobs…including you and the national columnist you chose to reference above.

How about firing people for sitting on potential evidence of the allegations? That sounds more like something to be fired for. Any of your colleagues looking for new jobs yet?

Can you spend nearly 40 years working with someone and never truly know him? Can the all-consuming nature of coaching big-time college athletics blind someone to a person’s true nature?

And this may be your most ridiculous statement of all after calling Boeheim’s statement “near-violent.” Yes, yes you can. Just like you can parent someone for 30 years and never realize they are being sexually abused. Or you can be married to someone for years and never know they are cheating on you. Should I keep going? Yes, you can be close to someone for 40 years and never truly know them. We like to think that’s not the case, but it happens all the time in all possible situations. Don’t be stupid.

It’s clear that Boeheim — in true kinglike fashion — was reacting out of a sense of betrayal.

Kinglike fashion? Really? Boeheim himself will tell you that he has no power over anything other than what happens on that basketball court. Even before this, when he was questioned on the move to the ACC, he said that he was not consulted and should not have been. That certainly does sound kinglike, doesn’t it? Absurd. Good job trying to up the drama though with words like “kinglike.”

…and finally the creepiest thing of all: a 2002 recorded phone conversation in which Fine’s wife adopts a shockingly casual tone regarding the entire operation.

The creepiest thing of all…the recorded phone conversation that your news organization (and I use that phrase lightly) knew about and sat on for almost a decade. Shockingly, casually sat on. Wow. How about you write a commentary about that?

During the university’s 2005 investigation into Bernie Fine’s behavior, Laurie Fine reportedly helped stifle its progress by claiming the allegations were lies. In light of the recorded call, in which she seems to acknowledge her husband’s aberrant behavior without explicitly naming it, she comes across as a possible enabler.

Helped stifle? Oh…you mean like ESPN did by not letting anyone know about this phone conversation? Enabler? Well then, what does that make the organization you work for that kept quiet about the conversation in question? Laurie Fine does sound like a sick person in the recorded conversation about “aberrant behavior.” ESPN sat on that conversation about “abberant behavior” you seem to like referencing so much.

ESPN and all of its “reporters” should be very careful about throwing stones in the direction of anyone right now.

Actually, I guess this shoddy piece of “journalism” is the least of ESPN’s offenses regarding this case.

I’ve been a DeSean Jackson fan for as long as he’s been with the Eagles. I’ve loved watching him play and yes, I even have loved his personality. When others call him a punk (and it happens a lot), I defend him. He’s a playmaker and he knows that. He has fun with the game and I love that. I’m sick of all the fun and personality being taken out of the game. I watch football for fun and watching Jackson has always been fun.

And off the field, he does good. He seems like a good kid. Stays out of trouble. Finds causes that mean something to him to jump into full steam…cancer, bullying. He makes a difference.

This year. Yes, he held out for a few days, but who could blame him. No one denies he far outplayed his contract and is outrageously underpaid for what he does and compared to others in his position. But then he showed up. He got to work and kept his mouth shut.
He hasn’t been the explosive DeSean we’re used to, but I defend him. I’ve seen him run guys down and make tackles this season. He draws attention away from other receivers. The coaches need to find ways to get him more involved in the offense. He always works hard and I have said over and over that the Eagles need to pay him. Now.

And now this. This I can’t defend. Missing a meeting and getting himself benched.

DeSean, whatever the excuse is, this was a punk move. And at the worst possible time for you, your fans, and most importantly, your team. The fans are reeling. Your team is reeling. You should be leading. You are at the end of your rookie contract, you’ve been there a few years, and you are an absolutely vital part of your team’s success…or it’s failure. And you didn’t show up. You didn’t show up for a meeting. You didn’t show up for your fans. And, worst of all, you didn’t show up for your team.

Whatever happens on the field, the fans and your team need to see that you are showing up, putting in the work, and more importantly, putting in the heart and the passion…no matter the team’s record. How do you expect your team’s fans to have heart if they see you don’t? Today, as a fan who has always been on your side, you let us down.

I have heard some people mention today that it is now clear that Peyton Manning should be MVP every year because of how valuable he obviously is to his team. That’s ridiculous. You are going to tell me that the Colts let the Saints score 62 points against them because Peyton Manning is hurt? Last time I checked Manning didn’t play defense. Or coach the team. Or does he? Seriously. Last I checked, even in uniform, Peyton Manning would not be in any way responsible for stopping the opposing team from scoring 62 points.

I can understand the team having a worse season because Peyton isn’t out there leading the offense, especially with how unprepared management and coaches left the team to lose Peyton having no one capable to back him up. But this is ridiculous. You lose your quarterback and you are suddenly losing football games by 55 points? It’s one thing to lose, it’s entirely another thing to lose by 55 points. That’s not a tribute to how valuable Peyton Manning is. That shows how poor the management and coaching of this team is. Who convinced this entire team that without Peyton, they should just give up?

As far as Peyton’s leadership goes, good leaders prepare those around them to perform well under any circumstances. A good leader trains those around him to fight on even if he goes down. You can’t say that Peyton Manning’s leadership is so valuable to this team that they absolutely can’t play without him. If that’s the case, that makes him a crappy leader. And that’s certainly not valuable.

So I love football. Fall is mostly about football around here. NFL football. College football. The peewee football team my daughter cheers for. Lots of football. But along with football comes food. What we’re going to eat and drink while we watch football is also a pretty big deal. So here is one of my favorite super easy recipes for football food. Not only can it be prepared ahead of time and just cook on the stove while you watch the games, but it involves both sausage and beer. Perfect football food.

In a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add sausages and cook until brown on all sides. Remove. Add onion and cook until softened. Add beer, potatoes, and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper and press to submerge potatoes in cooking liquid. Add sausages back to pot. Bring to a boil; cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook until potatoes are tender, about 20-30 minutes.
Meanwhile, stir together 1 tablespoon oil, vinegar, and parsley.
When done cooking, remove sausages from pot. With a slotted spoon, transfer potato and onions to a bowl and toss with dressing.

I usually prepare it to the point of getting everything in the pot and prepare the dressing then just through it on the stove to finish cooking when we’re ready for it.

I love that the NFL wears pink in October. This comes from someone who hates that they make special pink football fan gear for women. I normally can’t stand when women wear a football jersey in pink. I have nothing against pink in general, but if you want to support the team, wear the right colors. You don’t have to wear pink just because you’re female. That’s stupid.

But this is different. You just have to appreciate the image of these big, tough football players out there running around and tackling in bright pink shoes and gloves all in support of breast health. That’s pretty awesome.

I'm a mom. I'm also a fun-loving, sports-watching, martini-drinking, hip-shaking, sarcastic woman. And I do it all mostly in stilettos.
I will spend my days loving my kids, trying to read to them twice a day, doing all the activities they love that drive adults crazy, taking them to the irritating kid-play places, going out of my way to make sure I am making the best and healthiest choices for them in every way I can, and generally doing what I can to make them happy whatever it takes.
On the other hand…I will also put on my mini-dress and heels and go out dancing, or wear my bikini to lay by the pool and have a cocktail, or avidly watch sports while drinking beer, downing wings and yelling at the TV.
I’m not the typical mom. I’m also not the typical stiletto-wearing girl in the club, bikini-clad girl on the beach, or jersey-wearing girl in the sports bar. But it's all part of the package that makes me…me. And what fun is being typical?